1. Monthly archive
  2. July 2023

July 2023

Internet referral programs are in urgent need of reform

The US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana barred certain government agencies from working with social media companies for “the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech.” The injunction seems to threaten the myriad of government programs—including those in the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the St

Biden-Harris Administration Helps Expand Access to Rural Health Care Through Investing in America Agenda

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced that USDA is expanding access to health care for more than 5 million people living in 39 states and Puerto Rico as part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda. USDA is awarding $129 million in Emergency Rural Health Care Grants to improve healthcare facilities in rural towns across the nation.

North Carolina Governor Cooper Announces CommScope to Add 250 New Jobs in $60 Million Investment for Fiber-Optic Cable Manufacturing Operations

CommScope, a global telecommunications leader, plans to add 250 new jobs with a $60.3 million investment to expand its fiber-optic cable manufacturing operations in Catawba County, North Carolina, Governor Roy Cooper (D-NC) announced. CommScope develops, manufactures, installs, and supports network and hardware infrastructure for a digital society, such as the high-speed internet that connects people and places around the world. This project will upgrade the Catawba County facilities to increase the company’s capacity to produce fiber optic cable.

What State Broadband Offices Are Focused on Now: BEAD Initial Proposals and More

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced how much Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding each of the 50 states would be allocated. The answer varies from state to state, but one thing they all have in common is that Volume 1 and Volume 2 of their initial proposals are due December 27, 2023. Once NTIA approves the proposal, the state will get 20 percent of its BEAD funding. Volume 1 must include: Existing broadband funding, Unserved and underserved locations, Community anchor institutions, Challenge process plans.

Oregon Director Must Tackle Numerous Challenges on the Route to Universal Broadband

Oregon faces a range of challenges on the route to making broadband available throughout the state, said Nick Batz, director of the Oregon Broadband Office (OBO). “Our biggest challenge is the size of the state,” he said. “We’re roughly the size of the United Kingdom but have six percent of the population.

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